Documentary: Politics, power and pipelines

Russian Gazprom is working together with five European energy companies on a second natural gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea. If this second Nord Stream pipeline is ready, Russia can export up to 110 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year directly to Europe via Germany, enough to meet the total demand of France, the Netherlands and Poland.

The construction of the Nord Stream 2 will give Europe access to more cheap natural gas from Russia, which offers advantages for both consumers and businesses. Due to an increasing demand for natural gas and a decline in production within Europe, Gazprom and five European energy companies (Shell, Wintershall, Uniper, Engie and OMV) see opportunities to build a second pipeline.

Nord Stream 2

The economic added value of building a second pipeline is evident, but politically the project is sensitive. Critics believe that in this way Europe becomes too dependent on natural gas from Russia, which can change the balance of power between Europe and Russia. At the same time, the countries that are still running a lot of Russian gas, such as Poland and Ukraine, fear less income and less energy security when the Nord Stream 2 comes into use.

Deutsche Welle made a documentary about the Nord Stream 2 and the economic and political consequences of this project.